See it Rising

‘Up from the grave, He arose! With a mighty da da da da da….’

So, obviously I don’t know the
words to this song off the top of my head, but it’s the song that was playing
on and on in my spirit as I slept, and which I woke up to this morning. It’s
also a lazy morning for me, so pardon my not taking time to research the words.
What I do know with certainty is that the chorus goes ‘He arose! He arose! Halleluyah, Christ arose!’ and sis, that’s all
that counts – not just in this Easter season, but every day of our lives.

That said, allow me wish you a
Happy Easter or closer still, a Happy Resurrection. There’s been more of a hue
and cry this year about the Word ‘Easter’ originating from some pagan
traditions, and I will be one of the first to admit that I found it more
spiritually uplifting to say ‘Happy
Resurrection Sunday’ to people all of yesterday. I don’t know what position
you adopted, but as my older son said last night
‘Mamz, as long as people know this has nothing to do with cute bunny rabbits
and egg-shaped chocolates, then it’s all good, no matter what they choose to
call it’. I had a good laugh, but that was some serious Word. As long as
you and I understand that our faith is hinged on the reality of Jesus going to
die for us on the Cross, and coming back 3 days later having conquered sin and
death for your sake and mine…. As long as we know that, then it’s all good sis.
It really is, call it what you may!

Seriously speaking though, there
is something about Easter that gives serious food for thought. Irrespective of denomination,
or of how mature our level of faith and relationship with God is or isn’t, a
good number of Christians go through the motions of the Easter festivities in
our various churches with either with a fervor that is over and beyond our
normal day to day engagement with God; or with nothing more than a sense of
religious responsibility to the expectations of the church ….and perhaps an
ingrained expectation of self, a knowing that in specific seasons there is a
need to ‘step it up somewhat’. Of course there are many who have a deep and
mature relationship with God and a daily walk with Him that is strong and
secure by the power of the Holy Spirit, and methinks that for those who have
attained this level, Easter and Resurrection are a daily reality for which they
continually top up their gratitude tanks. Which category do you see yourself
in, sis? It’s important to face that reality so you can continue to go and grow
in Christ.

More than anything else, I
believe that if we had a clearer sense of the reality of what our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ did for us, we would actually see that the Resurrection Principle
is continually at work in our lives, and this would give us peace in the midst of
many of the difficulties that we face in different seasons of our lives. This
is the Word the Lord would have me share with you today, and I pray by the
power of the Holy Spirit that I will be able to put it across to you with
clarity.

I’m not Catholic, but my mum was.
On the back of that therefore I had attended the Catholic Church off and on for
a few years during my secondary school years. I recall being quite intrigued by
the ceremonial marking of the ‘Stations
of the Cross’ every Easter period. Even without having a deep understanding
at that time of just what Jesus did for me on the Cross of Calvary, I knew
nonetheless that the Stations were a
critical part of the faith of the body. Fast forward several years later, I
gave my life to Christ and as I grew spiritually, the things that looked like ‘ceremonies’ took on a deeper meaning for
me. And don’t get me wrong… I actually feel that many a time, we still go
through mere ‘ceremonies’ in our
various churches wittingly or otherwise. But when you really and truly begin to
grow in Christ, a different set of dynamics begin to play out in your heart and
spirit.

Sis, do you know that in life you
go through the ‘Stations’ in seasons,
sometimes daily? You do sis, as do I. Jesus however has given us a template for
this, and in the end an assurance that helps us to go through. Please walk with
me as I try to minister this to you as the Lord ministered the Resurrection
Principle to me.

Think about it… Jesus was in the
garden of Gethsemane. It was a beautiful place, cool and breezy. It was calm
and quiet, save for the birds chirping wonderful songs of nature. Think about
it sis… many times it seems like all is going oh-so-smoothly in our lives, when
before you can blink, it looks like someone pulled the rug out from under our
feet. Unlike Jesus however, we don’t have the gift of foresight. Many of us are
not clear what our purpose is life is. We are God’s but we are not God, so we don’t know the end from the
beginning…if we did, it would be easier to deal with the storms of life
wouldn’t it? But can we remember that Jesus was flesh and blood in His time
here on earth? So yeah, He had the edge of knowing there was a specific grand
purpose, but He still went through didn’t He?

The one person that approached
Him in the garden was a trusted friend, one of His inner circle. Sis, how many
times have the hurts in your life come from your inner circle? A husband deals
you an emotional blow; a close friend speaks out against you; a sister takes
from you; a co-worker stabs you in the back; a business partner steals from
you; a child breaks your trust… how many times? Jesus didn’t allow the peace
and beauty of the garden to camouflage the storms He knew were ahead. He understood
clearly His assignment and knew that betrayal was part of the process. He kept
His eyes on the big picture – the salvation of the world, and He chose to love
Judas through the deception. He understood that Judas was actually condemning
himself, and Jesus was pained enough to love him through this. Sis, do you
remember the prayer on the cross? It was,
‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do’. Methinks Jesus
probably prayed that prayer in His heart at the garden. ‘Lord, forgive Judas for he knows not what he is doing’. 

Sis, can you be bold enough in
the midst of some betrayal to love that person enough with an agape love, so
much so as to ask God to forgive them? Can you understand that when people do
wrong and hurtful things to you, they are priming themselves for the wrong side
of eternity? Can you love them enough to pray God’s mercies over them that they
may not be lost? Can you see also that in praying for those who hurt you, you
are actually praying God’s mercies on yourself …because surely, you are
sometimes the one hurting others? Can you see the template sis?   

Fast forward a bit and Jesus is
condemned by the Sanhendrin. Condemnation is such a weighty thing isn’t it?
Many times we have people set up as judge and juror in our lives, based on the
strength of accusations that many times they don’t take the time to substantiate.
Many times, it is those we think would have stood up for us that betray us with
their silence or denial. Remember Peter denying Jesus? Many times, it is those
we though should know better that judge us the most harshly. But again, think
about Jesus and Peter….Jesus knew Peter would deny him, but He loved him in
advance of and through the betrayal. It was a heart of compassion that He held
towards Peter.

Sis, how can you know someone
would deny you and you keep walking with that person? That is not the way of
men is it? That would be foolishness wouldn’t it? Well, the principle is this.
If you walk in the Spirit, your spirit must hold sway. You will have to
actively choose love and forgiveness, mercy and the extension of grace… for
your own sakes, and then for the sake of those who wrong you. Our God says we
should not come before Him is we have any unforgiveness or grudge in our
hearts. So when you struggle in these situations sis, please remember your
choices are more about your soul first, than about who is right and wrong in
the flesh.

Think about the scourging of
Jesus and the crown of thorns placed on His head. Synonyms for scourging
include afflicting, tormenting, devastating, terrorizing. Sound familiar? I
know there have been times past when I curled up in a ball of fear and
uncertainty because of the challenges that presented themselves. Times when it
looked like I would be swallowed up, and when I could see no way through. There
were times when it felt like the issues were compounded by a heavy crown of
thorns – by that one new thing that was weighty enough as to cause my head to literally
hurt, to cause me to struggle to think
through the pain, or to see through the tears that beclouded my vision. I have
never cried blood, but I have known what it means to literally see ‘red’ – not
in anger however, but in imaginable emotional pain.

Jesus response in this situation is
classic. Through the hurt and the pain, He carries His cross. It’s heavy, it’s
unmerited, it’s bigger than him, it’s symbolic of things for which He had no
hand, and it’s unfair. But, He carries it nonetheless. It was in His power as
the Son of God to kill all those who were scourging Him simply by a spoken
word. But it is also in the same power of His understanding – as God, the end
from the beginning; that He rather chose to go through the process.

We have to go through, sis. This
is life! Whether we like it or not, our reality is that there is good and evil
in this world, and many times we will be affected by it. Indeed, a harsher
reality is that many times we ourselves are players in either the good or the
evil that others will go through, but we may not readily see this. But that’s
not the topic today. Let’s focus today on where we are the hurt, the betrayed,
the judged, the condemned, the abandoned, the rejected, and the dejected! We
have to go through sis! This is why Jesus assured us that in life we will have
troubles, but that He would be with us. He said we would go through fire and
flood, but He would see us through.

If we accept in advance that we
will ‘go though’; if we accept in
advance that sometimes what we will go through will be unbelievably weighty…. and
if we will accept and trust that as Jesus made it, we will make it; then we
come to the battlefield primed for a different kind of victory, sis. We do! It
is just that much easier to bear because our eyes are set on things above. We
come to where we have an inner peace in the midst of our storms that make no
sense in the flesh’s scheme of things. We are at rest in war because we are
sure that in the end, we win!

A couple of things strike me
deeply as I meditate on the ‘Stations’,
or let’s just call it Jesus journey to the cross, shall we? First is the fact
that Jesus fell. The Son of God made manifest in the flesh, fell. The weight of
that physical cross was too much for His physical body to bear alone. What is
the principle behind this, sis? Quite simply, Jesus is telling us that the fact
that we fall doesn’t mean it’s over, it doesn’t mean we’ve failed. He is saying
that it is okay to be weak. Sometimes, it’s all just too much and there is
nothing wrong with being in that position. However, He does want us to know
that there is always help available at our times of weakness. It wasn’t a
coincidence that Simon of Cyrene was there and came to help Jesus carry the
cross. No sis! Hundreds of others were there, thousands maybe. They watched and
did nothing. Many empathized with Jesus, their hearts broke on His behalf, but
they did nothing. Many jeered at Him. Many sneered at Him … how dare He call
Himself the Son of God? Save yourself then, let us see! Many were unmoved –
just one more crucifixion of another ‘nobody’, another ‘thief’, another
‘wannabe’.

But, there is always help
available in our crises, sis! Simon of Cyrene was strategically placed,
positioned and primed to be a source of strength and support when Jesus needed
it. Have you noticed how when you are going through, support comes from the
strangest and most unexpected of places? A stranger speaks a word that is such
an encouragement to you. Something someone is preaching about is a direct word
from God to you for your current situation. Out of the blues, someone draws
close to you with a support that you cannot fathom the source, and sometimes as
soon as the challenge is over the relationship reverts to status quo. Someone
you thought couldn’t care less speaks out in defense of you, gives you inside
information and advice to help you overcome a hurdle. And can I assure you that
even if you never know, someone somewhere will actually lift you up in prayer?

Can I assure you even more so that
even if none of those happen, Jesus Christ Himself is your Help and Advocate,
and daily makes intercession for you before the throne of God? Sis, falling is
part of the resurrection process, okay. It is only when something dies that we
can speak of it resurrecting. Don’t be afraid of the things that God will cause
to die as you go through your storms and seasons. Trust Him even in that
process and know He will lift you from your prostrate state, and as He lifts
you, He will bring to life those things that you need for the next phase, and
He will also birth new things that you need for seasons ahead. Amen! Don’t be
afraid of the fall sis. Trust God that help is and always will be available.
Just know though that the help won’t always look like what you expect it to,
and so pray in advance that you will always recognize those who are on a
God-assignment to you in every season, particularly in your night seasons.

The other thing is that you must
recognize that you can’t afford to be proud in your night seasons especially. God
resists the proud remember? If Jesus the Son of God accepted help from a mere
man, then who are you and I to hold ourselves above? Sis, receiving help is not
a sign of weakness. It is rather a sign of emotional maturity. Many times we
don’t realize that when we allow ourselves be helped it is a growth process
also for he or she who has reached out to help us. Sometimes we fail to see
that by our example, they are also being built up. Stop making like you have it
all going on, sis. Be bold enough to be openly weak, afraid, uncertain! That in
itself is a living epistle to someone else who has wondered all along how they
can make it through when they are not as strong, as together, as competent and
as capable as you.

Another thing that struck me about
the Stations was how in the process
of going through, Jesus chose to give hope to another. Here was a thief, the
one who actually did deserve to be crucified, and he asked for mercy. Jesus said
to him, ‘I assure you today, you will be
with Me in Heaven’. Truthfully sis, when we are unjustly persecuted, how
often are we readily able to extend grace and mercy? Easier said than done isn’t
it? But this is the template Jesus gave us, sis. Indeed, the Holy Spirit
ministered to me that many of the things we will go through are not for our
sake. but that Jesus may be lifted high in the lives of others. Sis, the Lord
is asking that no matter what you are going through, in that season, be sure to
be a source of encouragement to someone else. Use your travails as an
instrument of worship. How? Sis, use your going through to encourage someone
else.

Think about how desperate and
dire your situation would be if you didn’t have Christ as an anchor and a hope,
sis. Do you know that one too many are without hope? Do you know that one too many
are only clinging on for dear life? Do you know that in making a bold and open
declaration that ‘I am going through, but
I know Jesus has got my back and I will come out of this too’ you are more
of a living Gospel to someone somewhere than you realize? Don’t waste your pain,
sis. Find it in yourself to use the lessons learnt to bless someone else. This is
a Resurrection principle. God is asking you today to purpose your pain for a
greater weight of glory. Nothing helps us deal with the things we struggle with
as much as helping someone else through their own struggles.  Help someone resurrect their trust, hope and
faith in God and His ability to bring them through their condemnation and
crucifixion experiences, sis….and then see how God moves mightily for you time
and time again.

Can you try to imagine what Jesus
was going through on the cross, sis? There was unbelievable pain from open
gaping wounds. There was incredible shame from being ridiculed, mocked, exposed
– hung near naked for all to see. He was openly laughed at, spoken to
disrespectfully by those who were otherwise so much less than He; He was
disdained, spat on. It was a combination of physical torture, psychological
distress and emotional anguish on that cross. But ….Jesus was on a spiritually
higher battlefield.  He understood that
in the end, God purpose would stand. He understood that the trials of the
present day were working a far greater weight of glory. He understood that end
which had been declared from the beginning was at hand. And so He was fully
yielded spiritually, even though everything else about Him was under immense
pressure and pain.

Sis, when we trust God with our
all… we have a spiritual rest that defies logic. I have said this before and I can’t
emphasize it enough. You have to ask the Holy Spirit help you enter this secret
place for yourself, sis. That is the only way we can successfully navigate this
life. Do you see? There is always a bigger picture and you have to come to
where you always have the assurance that the Greater One is on your side and He
is working it all out for your good, no matter how heavy it seems in this
season. There is purpose behind the cross you carry, sis. It’s hard when you
are hung out and on display. It’s hard when men choose to make an open show of
you, of your failings, of your shame, of your disgrace. It’s hard when it is
merited and a thousand times more so when it is not. But sis, lift it up to
Jesus and let His resurrection power flow. Don’t deviate from the principle of
the Cross, and I assure you that in the end you will be victorious.

Jesus elected to die, that God
may be glorified. He elected to endure all that you and I might have eternal
life. He is asking that in your life as well as in mine, we follow His example
– that we might not make His sacrifice to be of no effect, that we might not be
lost, and that we also draw others to Him. Sis, when He died, it looked like it
was all over. Some cried, yes. But the majority laughed and used Him as the
butt of their jokes at dinner that night. He died, sis! He died! I know that
many a time, the results of our going through is that things will die. Marriages
die! Treasured relationships die! Businesses die! Financial stability dies,
etc. Can we be real about the fact that some things will necessarily need to
die for some other things to have new life by God’s design?

And death is painful sis. Any separation
process is painful, even if we ourselves adjudge it necessary. Just as Jesus was
placed in the tomb and it was sealed with a heavy rock, we will have those
times when it looks like not only did something die, but a major obstacle has
been placed before us such that it is even hard to get to the ‘’corpse’ and
begin to examine what we might have done wrong and how to address it better
next time. Sometimes, there is no room for ‘lessons learnt’, it’s just ‘finished, final, over and done, dead and
buried!’

But He arose, sis!

‘Halleluyah! Jesus is alive! Death has lost its victory and the grave
has been denied. Jesus is forever! He’s alive! He’s alive! Halleluyah! Jesus is
alive!’

That is the new song, sis. The one that I know
all the words to! And it’s an awesome complement to the one I started out this
piece with.  Sis, Jesus resurrection on
the third day is still part of the principle that the Holy Spirit would have us
walk in today and always. Indeed, it’s the greatest part. It’s the assurance
from God that when He is in a matter, it only dies permanently if He has judged
it as not good for you. Otherwise, He it is Who has the power of life and
death. He is the One Who can kill and make alive. He is resurrection power Himself!
By a single breath He gives life. Today, God is asking us to remember that the
only permanence is in Him. He has assured us that He works all things out
together for our good. He is asking us to come back to the place of seeing
everything we are struggling with, everything that has tried to hold us down,
everything we are going through… to see it rising. He is challenging us to go
through knowing that Jesus arises for us always, no matter what we contend with.
He is asking us to see what looks like dead dreams, dead hopes and aspirations,
dead relationships… to see them rising. He is asking us to place our processes and
our pains on His alter today, and time and again so that He can continually
breathe life and health into them.

Sis, in His rising, Jesus is
asking that we see ourselves rising. He is as much in us as we are in Him and
His life is a template for ours. And we are victorious in Him always, sis. In Christ,
even when it looks like you have lost an earthly battle… if you played it by
this principle, you would have won a great heavenly war. Think through the
Cross sis, and then think through your life. Think through whatever you are
going through now, and then let the Holy Spirit minister grace and peace to you.
As He does, allow Him infill you with the confidence and assurance that all is
well and all will end well, the way that God has purposed it. Ask Him to help
you understand where you don’t; ask Him to help you accept; ask Him to order
your thinking; ask Him to help you gather your emotions; ask Him to shape your
countenance; ask Him to grant you wise counsel; ask Him for discernment. Sis,
ask Him to help you stay above and walk/decide/act/speak only in accordance to
His will and express purpose in every situation. Ask Him to help you stay in
alignment sis, that truly you may experience the flow of resurrection through
every ‘station’ you might have to go
through in any day and in every season. Ask Him sis, and watch Him roll away
every stone and restore life in all its fullness.

The Lord will help you sis. I know
this without a shadow of a doubt, because daily I see Him help me.

Be blessed sis… for you surely
are!